Joseph Peterson reviews last month’s sales on NameJet.
What a difference a month makes (to misquote Dinah Washington)! During November, NameJet reported only 61 domain sales over $2,000 with just 1 solitary auction up in the 5 figures; but December racked up 102 about $2k-14 of which exceeded $10k. Judging by the over-$2k results, November was 2014’s lowest performing month for NameJet; and that’s true whether measured by median, mean, total domains, or total dollars. (By top sale, November finished 11th.)
December was a striking rebound, but it wasn’t necessarily NameJet’s best month of 2014. December was #1 by total domains, #3 by total dollars, #9 by mean price, #9 by median, and #8 by top sale. That means that December’s strong performance isn’t due to any fluke, ultra-expensive domains skewing the statistics; instead, more auctions were finishing more consistently in the lower end of the high range: 68 were $2k-$4k; another 20 ended $4k-$10k, while 14 ranged $10k – $35.2k. Since the domain industry often experiences the holiday season as a slump, I’d view these figures as evidence of the domain market’s overall health.
Problem.com ($35,200) – There are many thumb rules floating around within the domain investor community; and even those usually right are frequently wrong. One broad tip would be to avoid words with negative meaning. Yet every problem implies a solution … even a customer. At $35k, Problem.com was NameJet’s top sale finalized during December, posing a problem for that old rule of thumb. “Problem” doesn’t always mean trouble, though; it could be paired with MathQuestions.com ($3050), making Problem.com all about positive fun. Right?
VVVV.com ($22,100) and/or 11211.com ($10,003) – Just as the bower bird fancies colorful objects, which it will collect obsessively to make a nest enticing to its future mate, Chinese domain buyers (and online consumers) love repeating character patterns, either letter or numeral. It’s a naming convention exotic enough to be the subject of a David Attenborough documentary!
Reported.com ($19,999) and/or Appearance.com ($15,000) – Two superb dictionary words here and each more versatile than may at first appear. “Appearance” is anything visual, from fashion to weight loss to graphic design. Moreover, guest speakers and celebrity sponsors make appearances, while struggling actors audition for that elusive TV appearance. In the case of “reported”, journalism is the first thing that comes to mind. But accountants handle “reported earnings”. We also discuss reported domain sales or look up consumer reports (i.e. reviews).
eNetwork.com ($15,500) and/or iCopy.com ($3600) – From time to time, domains using an “e” or “i” or “u” prefix will sell impressively. My own feeling is that these may begin to seem dated years from now when the iPod and iPad are as distant a memory as VHS tapes or the mouse.
CasinoForum.com ($15,300) and/or RealCasino.com ($4500) – Gambling attracts money, which means domains about gambling attract money. Casino-related domains have featured prominently in my last 2 weekly articles on expired auctions, including the sale of WinnersClub.com and 7 domains containing the keyword “casino” that sold during a single week. But it’s where multiple high-value factors converge that a domain sells best; and part of the value of CasinoForum.com is due to the promise of online forums, as such, as a business model.
LandAuctions.com ($15,300) and/or Borrowers.com ($7600) – Domain names related to large financial transactions are more likely to interest buyers with big budgets. Real estate and loans are surely 2 such categories.
ChildHealth.com ($14,999) and/or Kickbox.com ($11,999) – If you find a domain that defines a broad subject, an industry with billions spent per year, a topic that people care about passionately and always will … then consider buying it. ChildHealth.com ticks all those check boxes. KickBox.com can be about kickboxing, which is quite narrow; but it’s also an attractive option for any brand that wants to be aggressive yet fun, strong but nimble.
BadHabits.com ($9999) and/or QuitDrugs.com ($3350) – A month after I called QuitDrugs.com the best expired domain deal of the week, I still think so. Society spends a fortune on drug-related crime and health issues. Setting aside rehabs and lost productivity, just in terms of the U.S. government’s “War on Drugs”, there’s an expenditure of $51 billion per year. Whereas QuitDrugs.com is earnest, BadHabits.com is whimsical. I wonder what it will become. We have so many: drugs, chewing with our mouths open, overeating, not recycling, saying we “could care less”, buying domains, etc.
Urgencia.com ($3999) and/or MarijuanaPills.com ($3745) – Marijuana is all the rage, now that it has been legalized in multiple states. There’s even a popular TV show about Colorado cannabis. Domainers spotted this trend years ago; and the level of wholesale interest in pot domains is notably higher than most topics, even though the retail market for such domains hasn’t fully emerged. The same domainers tend to undervalue an established market for Spanish domains like Urgencia.com. The word means “urgency” but also “emergency” in the sense of medical care.
Obsequio.com ($2400) and/or Aventures.com ($2108) – Spanish and French, respectively. “Aventures” means “adventures”, among other things. Perfect for travel and entertainment! An “obsequio” is a gift, present, anything complimentary. It’s also part of cordial phrases like “do me the courtesy of”. Its English cousin, “obsequious” – very distant in tone from “obsequio” – describes the customary attitude of blogger toward advertiser.
Photographs.net ($3400) and/or Hepatitis.net ($3180) – .NET continues to sell, despite the number of new TLDs on offer – .PHOTOGRAPHY, .PIC, .PHOTOS, and .PHOTO among them. Everybody will understand the interest in photographs. While I was scribbling this article and weighing the appeal of liver diseases, the TV mumbling in the background literally aired a commercial for Hepatitis C … well, not so much “for” as “about” it.
XmasGift.com ($3011) and/or FoodGroups.com ($2192) – Here are 2 very familiar topics with wide appeal. Seems to me, these domains could sell for more on a different day. After all, nutrition and Christmas shopping are huge areas of consumer spending.
British.org ($5053) and/or LitterBox.com ($4999) – Domains can sing “both high and low”. To me it’s faintly amusing to see a nation’s culture set roughly equal to feline toilets. Of course, coincidences like these mean nothing. Value has multiple axes. And that’s the point.
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